1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to emergency safety devices, and more particularly to a portable smoke detector and guide for helping an occupant evacuate a house or building.
2. Related Art
Smoke detectors are typically mounted in particular rooms of a home, such as bedrooms and hallways, to warn of the presence of smoke generated during the initial stages of a fire and to enable the occupants to evacuate the home safely. Conventional smoke detectors generally emit a high-pitched tone, or alarm signal, to notify occupants that smoke is present and that they should evacuate the home or building. Evacuating the home or building may be complicated, however, by several factors. First, fires often start and generate smoke during the night when the house is dark, thereby making evacuation more difficult. Second, being awakened from a deep sleep by a high-pitched smoke alarm may disorient the occupants, especially if they include young children or elderly persons.
In an attempt to overcome these complications, smoke detectors, also called smoke alarm warning systems, sometimes include a built-in light source to provide emergency illumination. Such devices typically are employed in hallways and exit areas of a building and are beneficial when a building loses its electricity as a result of fire. These devices often include a high intensity flashing strobe light that is visible through intense smoke, thereby helping occupants evacuate the burning building by identifying the location of an exit. Smoke alarm warning systems also may include a standard smoke detector mountable in a normal location on the ceiling of a room and a separate light indicator that can be mounted in a location remote from the smoke detector. These light indicators often include a light as well as a microphone for receiving the audible alarm signals generated by the smoke detector. The light indicator often has a flashing light housing that is designed to be mounted on a window for visibility outside the building, thereby identifying the room where smoke has been detected so that rescuers will know where to go to put out the fire and/or rescue occupants of a burning building or home. These devices often utilize a radio frequency transmitter in the smoke detector and a receiver in the light housing.
While these various smoke alarm warning systems provide a light source at or near an exit or a window in the home or building to be evacuated, they provide no illumination to occupants at or near the location where the occupants are likely to be situated when the alarm goes off, i.e., their bedroom. Also, conventional smoke detectors do nothing to help orient the occupants or assist them in evacuating the dwelling. Therefore, there remains a need for a smoke alarm warning system that includes a portable means of illumination proximally located to the occupants of a burning house or building, as well as a means for giving instruction and guidance to the occupants of a burning home or building to help them exit safely.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,154,130 issued to Mondejar et al. discloses a portable room security system for use in hotel rooms, apartments, and vehicles having sleeping areas. The device in Mondejar et al. includes a smoke detector and circuitry for triggering an additional remote alarm via a telephone link, and a tape player or digital audio means for automatically playing a pre-recorded message announcing the emergency and asking for help when someone at a remote location answers the call. While the device in Mondejar et al. plays a message to a third-party, it does not have an evacuation guide which is separate and distinct from the smoke detector and that delivers a message to the occupant of the house or building to help him or her exit safely. Thus, there remains a need for an emergency response system that communicates a calming message to occupants, and that also assists them in evacuating a burning building.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,663,714 issued to Fray discloses an alarm system including a smoke detector that emits (1) high-pitched alarm signals to warn of smoke and (2) voice messages. The system disclosed in Fray does not include a self-contained evacuation guide which is separate and distinct from the smoke detector. Instead, Fray teaches a smoke detector capable of delivering messages in different forms, such as high-pitch pulses and verbal messages. Fray does not teach a self-contained evacuation guide positioned away from a smoke detector, and including a personal light source and a means for delivering a message to occupants. As a result, there remains a need for an emergency response system that has an evacuation guide which is activated by a smoke detector, and that provides to occupants a source of light to see their immediate surroundings and a source for receiving messages about how best to exit the room and/or building or home.
The present invention solves the problems encountered with prior smoke alarm warning systems by providing a portable smoke detector that, in addition to sounding an alarm upon sensing smoke, activates an evacuation guide that helps occupants evacuate a burning building by playing a pre-recorded message.
An aspect of the invention is an emergency response system, including a smoke detector having a front, a back, a shape, a body, a neck contiguous with and extending from the body and ending in a curved handle, and a means for generating an activation signal; and an evacuation guide having a front, a back, a shape, a body, a neck contiguous with and extending from the body and ending in a curved handle, a means for receiving the activation signal, and a means for delivering a message to an occupant of a home or a building, wherein the smoke detector is a self-contained and separate unit from said evacuation guide and is adapted to be used while physically detached from the evacuation guide, and further wherein the evacuation guide is a self-contained and separate unit from the smoke detector and is adapted to be used while physically detached from the smoke detector.
Another aspect of the invention is a method of operating an emergency response system in an environment having a room with a door having an inside door knob and an outside door knob, including the steps of (a) detecting smoke using a smoke detector, wherein the smoke detector has a shape, a body, a neck contiguous with and extending from the body and ending in a curved handle, and a means for generating an activation signal, by hanging the handle of the smoke detector on the outside door knob; (b) generating an activation signal from the smoke detector; (c) receiving the activation signal by an evacuation guide that has a shape, a body, a neck contiguous with and extending from the body and ending in a curved handle, a means for receiving the activation signal, and a means for delivering a message to an occupant of a home or a building; the evacuation guide being hung from the inside door knob by the handle; and (d) delivering a verbal message to the occupant(s) inside the room.
A feature of the invention is a portable smoke detector that can be hung from a door knob.
Another feature of the invention is a portable smoke detector that communicates with an evacuation guide to activate the guide in the event of the presence of smoke.
Another feature of the invention is an evacuation guide that plays a pre-recorded message in response to receiving an activation signal from a smoke detector.
Another feature of the invention is a portable evacuation guide that can be hung from a door knob.
An advantage of the invention is that the portable smoke detector and portable evacuation guide are mirror images of each other such that they can be placed back to back and secured together by latches when not in use.
Another advantage of the invention is the slim-line design of the evacuation guide that facilitates carrying by small hands, i.e. those of young children.
Another advantage of the invention is an evacuation guide that has a flashlight to help an occupant see as he or she evacuates a burning building.